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Chicago Jazz Orchestra: More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery

By Jack Bowers
April 21, 2025
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Chicago Jazz Orchestra: More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery

When the Chicago Jazz Orchestra decided to record a tribute to

Wes Montgomery

guitar
1923 - 1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery, the choice of who would sit in for the legendary guitarist was obvious:

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Broom, a stellar guitarist in his own right who has called Chicago home for more than forty years and had performed a concert version of the album at Chicago's Harold Washington Library in 2004. Once Broom agreed to accept the assignment, the sailing was relatively smooth, as CJO music director

Jeff Lindberg

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Lindberg assembled the orchestra, added a seventeen-piece string section to be used on five tracks and enlisted a trio of first-class arrangers to write the charts.

Montgomery composed half of the album's ten numbers, starting with

Charlie Harrison

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Harrison's solid arrangement of the groovy "Road Song." Harrison also scored the standards "What the World Needs Now" and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads." Montgomery's sturdy "Four on Six," swinging "West Coast Blues" and tasteful "Fried Pies" were arranged by

Tom Garling

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Garling,

Leonard Bernstein

composer / conductor
1918 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Leonard Bernstein's reassuring "Somewhere" and

Henry Mancini

composer / conductor
1924 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Mancini's ethereal "Dreamsville" by

Alex Brown

piano
b.1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex Brown. Lindberg transcribed

Oliver Nelson

saxophone
1932 - 1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Nelson's arrangement of Montgomery's rugged "Boss City," which closes the album, and

Don Sebesky

arranger
1937 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Sebesky's chart for Sol Lake's easygoing "More, More, Amor." The CJO goes it alone on "Four on Six," "West Coast Blues," "More, More, Amore," "Fried Pies" and "Boss City," and welcomes the strings elsewhere.

Broom, of course, solos on every number, and he proves to be an astute choice, technically as well as aesthetically, invoking Montgomery's uncommon mastery and effusive spirit at almost every turn. As for the CJO, its soloists are consistently sharp and engaging. They include trumpeters

Pharez Whitted

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharez Whitted on "Road Song" and

Victor Garcia

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Victor Garcia on "Boss City," altos

Rajiv Halim

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Rajiv Halim on "West Coast Blues" and

John Wojciechowski

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">John Wojciechowski on "More, More, Amor," tenor

Scott Burns

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Scott Burns on "What the World Needs Now" and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," and pianist

Dan Trudell

organ, Hammond B3

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Trudell on "Fried Pies." The orchestra's trim and attentive rhythm section is firmly anchored by bassist

Dennis Carroll

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Dennis Carroll and drummer

Kobie Watkins

drums
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Kobie Watkins.

Sonic balance is at times challenging (Broom is somewhat over-recorded), arrangements no more than adequate—and the strings add little to the merger. Still, a better-than-average big-band session whose heart is in the right place, one that encompasses a number of bright and pleasurable moments.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Road Song; What the World Needs Now is Love; Four on Six; West Coast Blues; Somewhere; More, More, Amor; Fried Pies; Baubles, Bangles, and Beads; Dreamsville; Boss City.

Personnel

Bobby Broom

guitar

Chicago Jazz Orchestra

band / ensemble / orchestra

Dan Trudell

organ, Hammond B3

Dennis Carroll

bass

Kobie Watkins

drums

Album information

Title: More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Chicago Jazz Orchestra Records

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